Following a high-tension exchange between Sen. Adams Oshiomhole and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Senate voted on Thursday to scrap recent amendments to its 2023 Standing Orders.
The reversal reinstates previous rules for Orders 2(2) and 3(1) after lawmakers raised serious constitutional red flags.
Persecondnews reported that prior to this reversal, the Senate had introduced strict eligibility requirements for principal leadership roles.
The now-rescinded amendment restricted these top positions to lawmakers who had served at least two terms, effectively barring first-time senators from the 10th Assembly from contesting leadership spots in 2027 unless they were re-elected.
The U-turn was formalized during Thursday’s plenary in Abuja through
a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) and seconded by Minority Leader Abba Moro (Benue South).
Bamidele explained that the rescission was a necessary “parliamentary correction.”
Further legislative scrutiny revealed that the restrictive amendments likely conflicted with Section 52 of the Nigerian Constitution, prompting the chamber to revert to the original provisions to avoid a legal crisis.
He said that the Senate retained authority to revisit, rescind and recommit previously-concluded matters to protect legislative integrity, parliamentary convention and legislative practice.
The Senate subsequently rescinded its earlier decision regarding amendments to Orders 2(2) and 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders and retained previous provisions.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, described the motion as straightforward and necessary for ensuring compliance with constitutional provisions.
“This is a very straightforward motion; it’s just for us to go in conformity with the constitution. I thank the leader for being observant and up to his game as the leader of the senate by making this observation.
“It is something that is very clear and we don’t need any debate in respect of this,” Barau said.
Sen. Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) immediately criticized the rushed nature of the original amendments, arguing that the process lacked transparency and bypassed necessary floor debates to satisfy specific interests.
“The way we rushed these rules just because certain individuals wanted a specific outcome is a major flaw in this process,” Oshiomhole remarked.
He urged the chamber to prioritize “robust debates” over speed in the future to ensure legislative integrity.
Bamidele raised a point of order under Rule 52(6), cautioning senators against revisiting concluded matters without presenting substantive rescission motions before the Senate.
“If His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Oshiomhole had any problem with the decisions that were taken with respect to the amendment two days ago, what he was expected to do was to bring a substantive motion for rescission to be debated on the floor of this parliament.
“The drama witnessed in the chamber the previous day had overshadowed substantive legislative business,” he said.
Bamidele stated that the disruptions witnessed during previous proceedings overshadowed substantive legislative business, insisting that the senate would not permit unnecessary drama during future deliberations in the chamber.
“Regardless of what was done in this hallowed chamber yesterday (Wednesday), what became the news out of this hallowed chamber was that unnecessary drama, and we are not going to allow this to continue,” he said.
The Senate also rescinded its earlier decision on the National Identity Management Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2026 and recommitted it to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration.
Moving the motion for the rescission, leader of the Senate, said upon review, certain fundamental drafting and substantial issues were identified in the long title.
Bamidele pointed out that several sections of the bill—specifically clauses 4(6), 8(j), and 35 through 40—along with the explanatory memorandum, required a second look from the legislature.
Following this observation, the Senate moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole for immediate review and successfully passed the revised version.
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